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TikTok sensation Khaby Lame was on Saturday detained by U.S. immigration officers in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The U.S. immigration agency confirmed that the Italian national, aged 25 was held for immigration violations.
"US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Seringe Khabane Lame, 25, a citizen of Italy, June 6, at the Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada for immigration violations," the agency confirmed in a statement.
According to immigration officials, the Lame who is also a UNICEF goodwill ambassador entered the U.S. on April 30.
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READ: WATCH: Khaby Lame, Mr Bean finally team up for hilarious skit
He however "overstayed the terms of his visa," leading to his detention by immigration agents at the at the Harry Reid International Airport on Friday.
Why TikTok sensation Khaby Lame was detained by US immigration- Here’s all we know
He was released later the same day with and allowed to voluntarily depart after overstaying his visa.
Lame who has more than 162 million followers on TikTok left the U.S. shortly after being released with a statement from the U.S. immigration agency confirming that he "has since departed the US."
The rise & rise of Khaby Lame
Lame shot to fame during the Covid-19 pandemic with his hilarious skits delivered without uttering a single word going viral and captivating the world.
Born on March 9, 2000 in Senegal, Lame ventured into content creation after losing his job at an Italian factory.
In silent humour accompanied by exaggerated gestures, deadpan reaction and facial expressions, Lame simplifies overly complicated 'life hacks’.
He has deals with leading global brand and continues to cement his top spot on TikTok as well as across other social media platforms.
Trump’s sweeping immigration reforms
Shortly after winning a second term, President Donald Trump rolled out sweeping immigration crackdown targeting those who are in the U.S. illegally.
The crackdown has largely been characterized by chaos and confusion with some of those deported ending in countries that they are not nationals of.
Backed by a barrage of executive orders Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been conducting raids and mass arrests across the country and loading illegal immigrants onto deportation flights.
Wednesday and Thursday this week saw the highest number of detention over immigration violations with over 2,200 people detained on Wednesday and another 2,300 detained the following day.
Khaby Lame
The crackdown has seen protests break out across the U.S. with clashes between federal immigration agents and protesters, prompting Trump to sign an executive order to deploy 2,000 members of the National Guard in response to immigration protests in Los Angeles.
“In recent days, violent mobs have attacked ICE Officers and Federal Law Enforcement Agents carrying out basic deportation operations in Los Angeles, California,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.